Dear HIFA colleagues,
To respond to Q6. What information resources are available for training? I did a quick search and mostly found several good ‘simulation-based and competency-based’ training options by NGO programs, e.g., HelpMeSee.
Surprisingly, there was no mention of the ‘criteria’ that trainees need to meet before entering these NGO programs, e.g., being a resident in Ophthalmology, or whether a medical doctor or a non-medical doctor (health technician) can be enrolled in this ‘simulation-based’ training.
In medical universities, only a medical doctor (resident) in the ophthalmology speciality is trained in both simulation-based training and ‘apprenticeship’ training.
The medical doctor completes ophthalmology specialisation and is certified after he/she has done a certain number (as designated by the medical university) of cataract surgeries performed in actual patients.
With the growing older population, the burden of blindness due to cataracts, and limited access to cataract surgery, there is a shortage of human resources.
It will be very helpful to hear from HIFA members about training programs in cataract surgery in LMICs.
Best wishes
Dr. Meena Nathan Cherian, MBBS, MD (Anaesthesia)
(Former WHO Lead Emergency and Essential Surgical Care Program, Geneva, Switzerland).
Director, Global Health New Challenges: Geneva Foundation for Medical Education & Research, Switzerland. www.gfmer.ch/surgery/cancer.htm (NSA-WHO)
Senior Advisor Global Action International Society of Geriatric Oncology Permanent Committees - SIOG
Senior Advisor, International College of Surgeons-Global Affairs. https://icsglobal.org/ (NSA-WHO)
Adjunct Prof.The Chinese University of Hong Kong,Shenzhen,China. https://med.cuhk.edu.cn/en/teacher/371
WHO-HIFA Essential Health Services; mHEALTH-INNOVATE. www.hifa.org (NSA-WHO).
Geneva, Switzerland. +41 763837253(m); cherianm15@gmail.com
HIFA profile: Dr Meena Nathan Cherian was a professor of anaesthesiology from Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India. She trained, worked, and taught in several countries, USA (Johns Hopkins Hospital), Southeast Asia and Africa. She worked at the World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland, as the Emergency and Essential Surgical Care Program Lead where she created the ‘surgical care’ program resulting in the first World Health Assembly Resolution on ‘Emergency and Essential Surgical Care and Anaesthesia in the context of Universal Health Coverage’. Currently she works as the Director, Global Health New Challenges program, Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Geneva, Switzerland; Adjunct Prof. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China; Senior Advisor, Global Action, International Society of Geriatric Oncology, Switzerland; Member of the WHO-HIFA Working Group on Essential Health Services and COVID-19; and HIFA mHEALTH-INNOVATE Working Group. She is a member of the HIFA Steering Group. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/meena and Spotlight working group on Patient Safety and NCDs. cherianm15 AT gmail.com